Big Ben Extension Keeps Steelers in Playoff Conversation but There’s Work to Do

March 14, 2015   ·   Michael Schottey   ·   Jump to comments

This is it. 
In a move first reported by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Big Ben Roethlisberger's extension of five years and $99 million signals what amounts to the twilight of an era for both the club and the 33-year-old quarterback.
Though further details of the contract have yet to be released at the request of both the club and the player, it appears as if this contract will ensure that Roethlisberger retires with the team that drafted him back in 2004. 
This also keeps the Steelers as a fringe playoff contender—especially in a perennially weak AFC playoff field—for at least the rest of the time Roethlisberger remains the team's passer. However, at the same time, it gives them a deadline of sorts, as teams will typically face rebuilding or at least retooling around the departure of a franchise passer. 
The extension frames everything the team must do over the next couple of years. 
It's been a bit of an existential crisis over...

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